The Memphis appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1886-1890, 1887-07-29
LABOR IN CHICAGO.
PRACTICAL SUCCESS OF THE
EIGHT.H0UR MOVEMENT,
Little Sympathy for the Condemned
Anarchists-The Walking Dele.
gate Deprived OF Power.
ESPECIAL TO rRs lrrrAL,I

An vuiy Sos-hut bbpect
Of the lsbor question In Chicago has
entirely charged within the past few
weeks. An application OF the princi.
pie OF arbitration in q way that las
heretofore been considered impracti.
cable has brought order out Of chaos.
1t 10 not too much to Gay that II the
remedy just applied would be adopted
everywhere and carried out in good
faith, there would be speedy end TO
the disa,trou, disputes between EN-.
ployers and employees And yet the So
luton was 90 simple that every body
10 expressing surprise that II was not
reached long ago. II lie tolerably well
known to the country that early In
May the bricklayers In Chicago quit
work and that for several weeks not
only those men, but many others in
related branches Of employment were
idle. Their grievances was that the
master masonB insisted on
TUESDAY PAYDAY
while they wanted their money SAtur.
day. This comparatively trivial mat
ter was not the prime aud only cause
OF the disagreement. There wss
train oil disputes between the m On and
their employers running back years.
Each party was bound TO stand on its
rights and give the other party q les.
son. The feeling was very bitter.
There was also q strike OF the car
penters, and building operations In
Chicago were Substantially stopped.
Nearly 20 600 men were thrown out of
employment, and some 5000, coo 10
wages we're lost. This condition of af.
iairs lasted nearly nine weeks, and
then after much negotiation scheme
for settlement was formed.
A committee OF five from the master
masons' organization and q similar
one from the bricklsyers' union,
united in selecting Judge Tuley, OF
the Circuit Courts man entirely ont.
side oil the disputes-as umpire, and
this body OF eleven men took under
careful conslderatinn all the
questions at issue. Admitting
that organic atoms Of employers and
employees are "a necessity arising on,
OF the present condition OF society"
they reported that ths main cause OF
labor troubles was In the fact tina, sep.
arate organizations undertook to lay
down arbitrary rules In matters which
should be regulated only by the
joint action OF employers and
employees. They therefore pro.
vide for the formation OF
AJoiHr bTAsDIso COMMITTEES,
TO whom all disputes shall be referred,
and who shall leave final decisions 10
Q dlsinterested umpire. The commit.
tee Ia 10 be elected annually. Every
matter involving the relations OF EN-.
ployers and employees Ia thus taken from
the excited meetings OF the orpan'xa.
tions. All the arbitrary powers Of
the walking delegate and the steward
are abolished. The question OF
the number Of apprentices 10
be enrolled each year il left
10 the Joint committee. The eight
hour day Ia conceded 10 the laborers,
but the Tuesday pay day 10 allowed 10
stand unlss changed by the Joint
committee hereafter. The arrange
ment thus made In not new In princi.
pie, but II has this new feature, that
there ia q court consisting OF the Joint
committee, always ready 10 put the
question In shape Tor the action Of the
arbitrator. The novice Ia an
ABSOLUTE SOLUTION OF LABOR rRouBLu
provided that the parties 10 suoh an
agreement carry II out In good faith.
Previous settlements have often been
made nugatory through q breach Of
faith by one or the other Of the par.
ties, but Il isthought that In this In.
stance the constraint on each IL 90
strong that the compac, will be ere
cutsd 10 the letter. The public ha,
watched the progress Of the strike 30
closely and 10 90 deeply interested In
seeing fair play that neither employ.
era nor employees will dare 10 be
false TO their promises The
great difficulty In such sffairs 10
10 bring the opposi ~ parties 10
calm DISCUSSION a TIE points q,
ieeue. They are both anxious enough
30 come 10 an understanding, but are
afraid OF each other. Tho master
masons and their employees having ssl
this example, there IL no reason why
other trades should not follow. In
deed, any class Of men In Chicago who
refuse % take this coune, hereafter,
will have TO bravo q very strong pap.
ulaT opinion.
The sgrtement, II will be seen, dis
poses Of those euhjsc,s which have
been mos, provocative OF trouble here
toiore. IL does more. Matters Of a
Joint interest 10 employers and en-.
rloyee are not merely felegs,ed 10 the
committed. Toe unions are absolute
ly forbidden 10 discuss them st ali,
There will hereafter be no excuse for
noisy demonstration and windy do
olamstlons on the part OF laborer or
employers either. The decision Ia
regarded, too, a. fixing eight hours n 4
dAy's labor for all time In Chicago, not
only In the trades directly.concsr ned,
but Ia all similar ones. Aud II 10
thought that Chicago's recent promI-
hence on labor controversies aud ia
success In this affair will give the
eight houf movement q strong i'm.
pulse all over the country. Says one
OF the men - an emplayer - most
prominent In the negotiations; This
agreement
PRACTICALLY sETrLEl rHE LABOR
QUESTIONS
which have heretofore troubled us.
The mex, battle will be- over the prop.
otit,on 10 admit laboreFs 10 a partic..
pa'ion in profits. Chic1gi hss Ger.
lain made great progress on the Ia.
Dor question during the post twelve
months All the world knows Of
fhR nItTm NuHDERnus erRiEu
81 Too spring q 1886, when policemen
Nefo slaughtered by the sna,ehI.,a.
when CREST destruction Of properly
was barely prevented by a display of
the governments power, aud wb.n
no one seemed 10 be willing 10 lis,sn
20 reason. Toe de'ermiba,ion then
nhogn 10y the lAbofing olas.,s no
doubt promoted tho tighthon, wosa'
ment. Capitalist then learned ,bs,
% c1nuummaie bargain with ths H.